B.C. dog on mend after devouring cocaine found on walk

A walk in the woods on Vancouver Island ended on a traumatizing note for a Duncan couple after their dog fell into an overdose from cocaine and marijuana it had somehow found.

The owner of the shepherd ridge-back cross, who asked not to be identified, said her husband took the dog for two walks that day: the first in the Mount Tzouhalem area and the second in the Paldi area, before the animal was taken home.

The owner said the large nine-year old female dog started swaying from side to side almost immediately upon arriving home and she and her husband thought the animal was having seizures and immediately took her to a veterinary clinic, where they regularly take all three of their dogs.

She said clinic staff quickly tested the dog and determined that she had ingested a quantity of cocaine and marijuana.

Staff then induced vomiting to help rid the dog’s body of the drugs, as well as utilizing a type of charcoal that is used to treat oral poisonings.

“She was wobbly until the noon the next day, but she seems to be fine now,” the woman said.

“We figure (the dog) picked it up while walking in the Mount Tzouhalem area because the required amount of time would have passed from her investing the drugs and starting to show symptoms.”

The woman said she found the fact that there was cocaine in what her dog ingested was more concerning than the marijuana.

She said one of her dogs is small and worries that if that animals had ingested the drugs, it could have died of an overdose.

“What if there was fentanyl in there; what would that have done to a dog, or a child as well?” she asked.

“We’ve never had anything like that happen to us before. We don’t plan to return to Mount Tzouhalem to walk our dogs again anytime soon.”

Judy Burnett, from Coastal Animal Control Services of B.C., said she has not come across any similar cases in the Valley to date, but is not surprised considering the ongoing drug epidemic that has gripped the region.

“People should be careful when walking their dogs off leash,” she said.

“They move quickly and can eat almost anything before you even realize it.”